There are many things to be thankful for – a long week of work is done for one thing.

Today I was working in the operating room – just regular dental work on sort of irregular people I guess. From a tiny little girl of 17 months to a mentally challenged adult. It is hard to really know how long I did today will last. There are a lot of if’s that could make things go well – or not- such as, if brushing happens, if weaning is done from the bottle, if the FAS child gets care from a parent with enough energy to instil consistent habits. So, time will tell.

And then, back at the office and a patient comes in with some pain that is hard to diagnose. But she trusts me so she comes and we talk and hope that we can get it sorted out and treated. Without it costing her more than she can afford. I can’t do magic of course but I can take some time and talk and let the patient know that I will do the best I can to figure out what is causing their pain.

Sometimes cost is such a limiting factor in treatment. Not that all available treatments and marvellous technology inevitably leads to better health but not having the necessary money for simple treatments sure is a serious limitation. And I have to discern my role in this; what is wise to carry myself and what I need allow the patient to take responsibility for.

So, that was mostly how my day went. Work plus an appointment later with my spiritual director. Something between us seemed to connect well today. It seemed as if God was there providing some wisdom that I needed to hear.

All this caused me to get home rather late tonight. I was wondering what on earth to fix for supper when Christian came in and said that Leo had called and was socializing with some of our friends down at one of the bars and to call him. Went for wine and wings and nachos. As good as supper for me. Good times with good friends are something to be thankful for as well.